Executive Coach for Director+ Leaders in Tech
Executive coaching for Director+ leaders at technology companies navigating senior interviews, promotion, and high-stakes leadership moments.
Limited new client starts each month.
About Julie
I’ve spent 25+ years operating in high-stakes environments - from Wall Street to Google to Adobe.
For 13+ years, I led strategy, program management, and business operations across large-scale product organizations at Google and Adobe, including multi-billion-dollar portfolios and 3,000+ person organizations. I managed teams of 100+, including Directors and Senior Directors, and spent nearly a decade in VP/SVP leadership rooms where promotion, hiring, succession, and organizational decisions were made.
I’ve interviewed 600+ candidates and spent nearly a decade on promotion committees.
Earlier in my career, I was a trader at Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs.
Today, I coach leaders on how to operate at that level - with clarity, judgment, and trust. LinkedIn →
Ways to Work With Me
Choose the path that fits your current moment.
Executive Interview Prep
For leaders with active interviews who need to sharpen their stories, increase their target level signal, and manage multiple interview loops.
Executive Communication & Presence
For leaders whose work is strong, but whose communication is limiting how senior, strategic, or credible they are perceived to be.
Leading at Scale
For senior leaders whose scope has outgrown their ways of working, and who are becoming the bottleneck for decisions, delegation, or team performance.
First 90 Days
For leaders entering a new company, bigger role, broader scope, or more complex environment who need to build trust, read the system, and avoid early credibility mistakes.
Director & VP Readiness
For senior leaders preparing for a meaningful increase in scope.
Build the judgment, leverage, strategic range, and organizational influence required to succeed at the next level.
Also available: Targeted advisory for leaders navigating role risk, performance concerns, or major leadership transitions. This is a private offering discussed on intro calls.
What Leaders Say
Common reasons leaders come to me
✔ I have an executive interview coming up and need to sharpen my story fast.
✔ I’m already operating in a senior tech role, but I’m not being perceived at the level my scope requires.
✔ I keep getting feedback that I’m not strategic enough.
✔ My team depends on me too much and I’m becoming the bottleneck.
✔ I stepped into a bigger role at a new company and I want to nail it.
✔ I’m worried I’m losing credibility and need to reset fast.
How I Work
Most coaching focuses on reflection.
At senior levels, the gap is usually capability, not awareness. I work with leaders operating inside complex technology organizations, where scope, influence, judgment, and execution all matter.
If you have never been taught how to run executive forums, influence without authority, or operate under real pressure, insight alone will not close the gap.
My work is practical and direct.
I diagnose the real issue, tell you what I see, and help you build the skills and judgement needed to perform at the next level.
Direct, candid, and invested in your success.
FAQ
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I work primarily with Directors, Senior Directors, VPs, and senior ICs at product-led technology companies -from Big Tech and established software companies to high-growth AI and SaaS businesses.
My practice is generally not designed for corporate IT, internal technology, or digital-transformation leaders inside non-technology companies.
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Clients often reach out when their role has expanded or they are navigating a major transition. They may be scaling an organization, leading through multiple layers of leaders, or shaping how teams and product areas operate as they grow. Sometimes they’re trying to make sense of difficult feedback or a challenging situation at work.
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I like to start with a short conversation about what you’re navigating. From there we focus on the capabilities you need to develop and the organizational system you’re operating in. The goal is that you leave with practical skills you can apply immediately and a clearer understanding of how you fit into the organization - and how the organization experiences you.
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Before becoming an advisor, I spent more than two decades leading organizations across Wall Street and Big Tech, including senior leadership roles at Google and Adobe. I’ve been in the rooms where big decisions are made, and that perspective shapes how I work with leaders today.
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It depends on what someone is trying to accomplish and their time horizon. Some engagements are short and focused on a specific situation, while others continue as leaders grow into larger roles or more complex environments. When someone is developing a new capability, our work often follows a simple rhythm - learn something, apply it in the role, and come back to refine it.
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My style is direct and practical. I often say the things you may already suspect but no one has been willing to say out loud - the expectations, norms, and dynamics that shape how leaders are evaluated.
Drawing on years of corporate leadership experience, I share what I’ve learned about executive communication and presence, promotion and hiring in big tech, people management and scaling, operational rigor, and running large businesses - so leaders can develop those capabilities more quickly.
Limited new client starts each month.
Book a complimentary intro call or email me at julie@gustinstudio.com.